2021-5-26, Simsbury Town Forest to Onion Mountain, Canton, CT

 On 2021-5-26, I hiked from Simsbury Town Forest to Onion Mountain in Canton, and back.  Here's a link to an interactive map that has location numbers that I will refer to:https://arcg.is/1e9HKH .  Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map.



1.  A map of Simsbury Town Forest was posted near where I parked.  I only hiked a small part of Simsbury Town Forest before I headed westerly into Massacoe State Forest and further westerly into Canton and up onto Onion Mountain.


2.  In Massacoe State Forest, the trails were narrow with blowdowns, but I managed to follow trails westerly towards Onion Mountain.  At 2, I saw a box turtle.


2.


3.  Some say that pitch pines are rare in Connecticut.  I don't think so.


4.  As I started to climb Onion Mountain, I noticed this American Cancer-Root, Conopholis americana, plant.  As I proceeded southerly, I saw many more of these plants.  These plants have flowers but no chlorophyll.  More information: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/conopholis_americana.shtml


5.  This was near the highest point I got to on Onion Mountain, which actually is a ridge.  I followed a trail blazed with both blue and orange nail-on blazes to the the trail's end and kept going southerly another 0.12 of a mile to a highpoint.


6.  There were many pignut hickory trees on top of the ridge.


6.  A view through the trees to the southeast.  


6.  Heublein Tower was visible.



7.  The southern-most pair of blazes was here.


8.  The Blue Trail had blazes of various shapes including triangles and squares.


9.  On my way back, where a very dim trail met the gravel bike path, I noticed this sign.  I went to www.friendsofmassacoe.org and found that the timber-cutting project had been abandoned by DEEP.  I noticed that about a third of an acre of trees had been cut where the blue trail meets West Mountain Road.











David Reik

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